i noticed these Birds in my yard that i have never seen before!There only seemed to be two of them & they hung out together.Noticed them over a couple of days & now they seem to be gone so maybe just passing through.They look like Golden-crowned Sparrows but not quite.i think perhaps they are the youngsters from this summer!These fotos are through the window, so not that sharp.Notice the lovely yellow on the forehead & even on the leg!

So many little birdies now, either passing through, or arriving to stay the winter, or else gathering to migrate elsewhere.

On Friday the Comox Valley birders came to visit. A treat to follow them for part of the day: out to Dunlop Point for the shore birds and a nice view of the red-billed Heermann's Gulls , then after lunch partway around Helliwell Park; after which I had to leave and go to work.

Just after that, they saw a flock of Horned Larks! Everyone was really happy because they are rare at all times of the year here, though much more common elsewhere on the continent.

So on Saturday I took advantage of an hour of free time and went poking around in the area near St John's Point, with the 'firm plan' to find some larks. Which means I walked to shore, fell in love with the first little birdling I saw, and from that moment didn't care too much about what I saw or didn't see.

In one big thicket of pine trees, I found 9 different species of birds!Song Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow (an adult and a juvenile), Oregon Junco, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Hutton's Vireo and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, all flitting around.

Here are a few photos of them...A Savannah Sparrow...Helliwell Park, September 23, 3:10 pm

An Oregon Junco...

An immature White-crowned Sparrow (with a rufous crown, how confusing!)

A Red-breasted Nuthatch hanging upside-down...3:31 pm

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet, not a great shot but my first one of the season...

...And its almost-twin: a Hutton's Vireo, my first sighting of one. A little more drab, less contrasty, grey legs, and the bill is really different. Imagine both birds in the same tree! 3:39

A clearer view of the Hutton's Vireo but we can't see the bill here:

And then a whole lot of Savannah Sparrows in the grass. No larks, my time was up, but a really nice visit nonetheless! 3:45 pm

So with all these little birds to look at (but no Horned Larks), I was late at my next appointment. After which I took a detour to Grassy Point, just to see what kind of a perfect boating day I had just missed.

So here I am right at the tip of Grassy Point, looking at that lovely calm water, letting the beauty take me.And that's when I heard an unfamiliar kind of a cheep-cheep call, and three little birds landed nearby. Saying, probably, something like "Hi. You looking for someone?" -- in Lark language.

Yeah, I know it's crazy. This sort of thing happens to me quite a bit.

Horned Larks, Grassy Point, September 23, 6:25 pm

Next they flew right to the flat part of the meadow, which meanwhile had filled up with picnicking families and dogs and little kids tearing around on bicycles. So here are my rare migrant birds right in the middle of the action, pecking at the grass, just flying on a little further when a kid threatens to crash into them. They had a funny kind of shuffling walk too. Finally they got somewhere quiet enough for me to risk another set of photos without spooking them further.6:35 pm